It is a well known problem that rain gutters for receiving rain water from a sloped roof and directing it to a downspout continually collect leaves and other debris that eventually plug the downspout and allow rain water to spill over the edge of the gutter. Conventional practice is to clean the gutters by raising a ladder up to the roof and cleaning out the debris by hand. A garden hose is sometimes used as a supplement to wash the remaining debris into and down the downspout. A garden hose is also used to help force an accumulation of debris plugging the downspout out through the bottom. Climbing the ladder to clean the gutters, however, is a dangerous job that in some cases, requires a climb as high as the second or third story above the ground. At the top of the ladder the person cleaning the gutters often will reach out to the side that tends to make the ladder unstable. Climbing a ladder to clean the gutters is particularly dangerous if the house has a sloped yard which makes the ladder less stable.
Gutter systems have been developed which permit remote dumping of the collected debris from the gutter. Examples of such systems include U.S. Pat. Nos. 510,515; 538,108; 4,061,151; 4,116,008; and 4,413,449. Each of these systems allow a trough which normally collects rain water and directs it to a downspout to be inverted and allow debris to be removed therefrom. While each of these patented systems have their own particular attributes, they have certain common features which effectively limit their utility and add to the cost of an installation over and above the installation of a conventional gutter system. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 538,108 to Freeze shows a series of brackets spaced along a lower edge of the roof for supporting the trough. Hinges are provided on the outer edge of the brackets attached to the trough which allow the trough to rotate up and over the edge of the brackets. In this arrangement the gutter trough must be made of a material having substantial strength and rigidity in order to withstand the torsional stress related to rotating the trough. This is particularly important if the trough extends for a substantial distance. The other references similarly apply the rotational torque to the trough which means that a strong trough is required by the systems. Clearly, such a strong material is heavy, bulky and expensive.
A further problem associated with the gutters disclosed in certain of the above patents is that the gutters rotate up and over the hinges. This means that the design must have some clearance between the lower edge of the roof and the trough. Such a design allows for gaps between the trough and the roof, and such gaps may allow water to run behind the gutter.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rain gutter apparatus which is able to be inverted to permit any debris collected therein to fall therefrom and which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art constructions as noted above.
It is a more particular object over the present invention to provide an inexpensive and effective rain gutter apparatus which is able to be inverted to permit any debris collected therein to fall therefrom and which does not put a torsional load on the gutter trough.